


By any other name would smell as sweet

by mm8



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Crying, F/M, First Kiss, Out of Character, Yule Ball
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-29
Updated: 2013-10-29
Packaged: 2017-12-30 21:03:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1023357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mm8/pseuds/mm8
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione is upset at the Yule Ball, and is comforted by the last person she would have thought of.<br/>Written in 2009.</p>
            </blockquote>





	By any other name would smell as sweet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [abitofadork7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/abitofadork7/gifts).



__

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose  
By any other name would smell as sweet."  
-Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Dusk was usually Hermione's favorite time of day, but with her blurry eyes, she wasn't enjoying it at all. Why did Ron always have to mess everything up? Why couldn't she was a silly, girly night just for once?

"Excuse me? Are you alright?"

She wiped her eyes and looked up. It was Cedric Diggory. Why was he there? Shouldn't he be here; he should be inside sweeping Cho Chang off her feet on the dance floor. 

When she didn't respond, he cleared his throat and asked, "May I sit next to you?"

Hermione nodded quickly, still wiping her eyes. She could feel Cedric sitting down, leaving no space between them. She didn't say anything and neither did he. She could hear his steady breath; it was kind of soothing. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his chest. Instinctively, Hermione began to sob openly once more. She felt like a fool, crying in the arms of a boy she hardly knew, but it felt so nice, so _right_.

"A beautiful girl like you shouldn't be crying like this."

Hermione gazed up at him. His expression was hard and determined. "Why are you here?" She tried to hold back her sobs as best she could. "Shouldn't you be with Cho Chang?"

Cedric shrugged. "I saw you run out here, so I excused myself. I wanted to see if you were okay."

"Obviously, I'm not."

They were quiet again. She could hear Cedric's heart beating in his chest. Closing her eyes, she finally relaxed into his embrace. How strange this was, she thought. Hermione didn't know very much about Cedric Diggory, but right now he was proving to be a perfect gentleman.

"Hermione," he said huskily, his hands cupping her face, his eyes seemed glazed. 

Slowly, but surely, they both inched toward each other. Hermione had no idea why she was doing this, but she felt like she needed this. Oh God, she could feel the heat from his face, his lips…

"Cedric! Honey, where are you?!"

They pulled away instantly, eyes wide. Cedric cursed under his breath. "I'm sorry. I don't know…" He sighed and leaning over with grace, he plucked a rose from a nearby bush and handed it to her. "A rose, for a pretty lady." He flashed a smile.

"Cedric?!"

Hurriedly, he leaned over a kissed her forehead. "Hope you feel better soon, Hermione Granger." He waved and ran away back toward the castle.

She was beyond all feeling. Clutching the thorny rose in her hands, staring off into the sunset, she began to cry again.

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2009. Not betaed.
> 
> * Kudos are amazing and I will never stop asking for them, but getting comments, actual feedback from readers means so much. Taking five seconds out of your time can really make my day.
>   
> 
> * You can follow me on [tumblr](http://mm8fic.tumblr.com/).
>   
> 


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